John Daly Withdraws From US Senior Open After Buggy Request Rejected

Jun 26, 2018

Daly isn't allowed to use a buggy during the US Senior Open so has pulled out due to a knee problem

John Daly Withdraws From US Senior Open After Buggy Request Rejected

John Daly has pulled out of this week’s US Senior Open with an injury to his right knee.

The two-time major winner asked the USGA, who run the tournament, if he can use a buggy during play but that request was denied.

Daly tweeted, “Unfortunately— I had to WD from the US SENIOR OPEN. The deteriorating osteoarthritis isn’t helping my rt knee. I fall under the @ADANational but @USGA turned down a cart for me this week. Just going to give the knee a rest. Don’t know what’s ahead for me.”

The 52-year-old refers the to the ADA – the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 – which ‘prohibits discrimination based on disability’. John clearly isn’t happy with the USGA’s decision.

The USGA released two statements on Twitter, with the first saying: ‘Each request is reviewed individually. We respect the privacy of all players and cannot discuss any medical conditions. We offered Mr. Daly the opportunity to provide additional information to support his request. He decided to withdraw this morning.’

However, Daly disagreed with that statement and particularly the “additional information” part.

“I’m not going to mislead the media or my fans,” he tweeted.

“No “additional information” was ever requested, or it would have been provided. I “WD” bc @USGA had already made their decision after our exhaustive medical submission. Any claim to the contrary is pure fiction.

I’m not going to mislead the media or my fans. No “additional information” was ever requested, or it would have been provided. I “WD” bc @USGA had already made their decision after our exhaustive medical submission. Any claim to the contrary is pure fiction. https://t.co/6EfnBnkqaJ

— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) June 26, 2018

Daly also retweeted two tweets suggesting he takes legal action.

The second and full statement confirmed that he “followed the USGA process, which includes working with a medical consultant” and said that his submission to use a cart during play “did not support a waiver of the walking condition.”

Interestingly, the statement implies that Scott Verplank has been allowed to use a buggy this week.